WATCH: Don Lemon Pushes Back After Panelist Implies That He Is ‘Part Of The Resistance’

On Thursday, political commentator and former Trump surrogate Steve Cortes appeared on CNN and slammed anchor Don Lemon for calling rapper Kanye West’s visit to the White House a “minstrel show.”

After Lemon said that he was simply telling “the truth,” and that he didn’t choose his words “out of animus,” but because he feels “sorry” for West, Cortes replied:

These are the kind of tactics that you and the Resistance, you and your anti-Trump folks like to employ when [a] minority dares to break –

Lemon asked Cortes to repeat himself, and the following exchange took place:

CORTES: You and your friends and your allies in the Resistance, these are the kind of tactics you like to employ when a minority –

LEMON: I’m not in the Resistance. Please, Steve, don’t [unintelligible]. I’m not part of the Resistance. And just because the truth is not on your side, and reality –

CORTES: You call Donald Trump a racist every night on your program, and you’re telling me you’re not part of the Resistance?

LEMON: Did you watch tonight? Did I call him one tonight?

CORTES: I’m not sure if you have yet, but it’s just about every night. Let’s be fair.

LEMON: Okay, well, then don’t make up things. You’re making up things again, and if I called him that, I do it out of evidence.

CORTES: Okay, just about every night. How about that?

LEMON: Okay, no, I do it a lot. I do it when it is warranted.

CORTES: No, you don’t have evidence. When we minorities dare to think for ourselves, and when we dare to leave liberal orthodoxy, what happens [is] we are immediately vilified …

Lemon later told Cortes: “If Kanye West wants to be a conservative, that’s his business; if Kanye West wants to support Trump, that’s his business, but have some sense about it. Don’t go in the Oval Office and embarrass yourself by speaking non sequiturs, and about things you have no idea about.”